Member Profile

Investors in a Clean-Energy Future

Like many people, UCS member Tom Blakeslee invested in oil and gas stocks for years before he understood that those companies were responsible for worsening global warming. He and his partner, Margo Landry, have since changed their investment practices to more closely align with their values, putting both their money and their time into the fight against climate change.

Tom, an engineer by training, has written a book on renewable energy, Fuel Free! Living Well Without Fossil Fuels (CreateSpace, 2009), and regularly contributes to several clean-energy blogs. He believes geothermal energy is one of the most promising technologies for reducing global warming emissions, and has given talks on the topic in such distant locales as Australia and China.

American Leadership Needed

Margo notes that, “There are many workable solutions to climate change all over the world, but the U.S. has so far been too stubborn to look outside its borders for examples.” Still, she and Tom know it is up to the U.S. government to drive real change and set an example for the rest of the world.

They admire UCS for pushing the federal government in this direction, and for standing up to powerful interests like the oil and gas companies whose stocks they once owned. As recent additions to our National Advisory Board, Tom and Margo support UCS for the voice of scientific reason we bring to legislative debates on climate change and energy. As Tom explains, “It is important for the U.S. government to listen to scientists and focus on the best ways to solve the problem of global warming, instead of legislating to benefit the industries with the most powerful lobbyists.”